When Jack Harlow admitted he didn’t know Brandy and Ray J are related, who could have predicted that it would lead to Brandy offering to hand him the lyrical fade — let alone following through? That’s right, Brandy, the R&B veteran who once starred in her own sitcom and gave the world “I Wanna Be Down,” actually decided to flex her mic skills and take full advantage of the viral moment.
Given that Jack made his embarrassing confession on Hot 97’s Ebro In The Morning show, it’s only right that Ebro was also the one to debut Brandy’s “First Class” freestyle. Hijacking the beat from Harlow’s own No. 1 single, Brandy spits a sinuous flow full of throwback ’90s-esque knowledge drops and references to Ray J’s “indestructible” glasses.
Jack is used to going viral for something or another, but when he appeared on Ebro In The Morning to promote his new album Come Home The Kids Miss You, he probably had no idea that he’d be the topic of discussion for a gap in his ’90s pop culture knowledge. Challenged to name a Brandy song for the show’s “White Ish Wednesday” segment, Harlow needed several hints, one of which was “Ray J’s sister.” When he wondered aloud “Who’s Ray J’s sister?” Twitter turned up on him for not knowing something that many considered obvious (the kid is just 24 years old and Brandy’s been out of the spotlight for pretty much his entire adult life).
When Brandy caught wind, she jokingly declared on Twitter, “I will murk this dude in rap at 43 on his own beats and then sing [h]is ass to sleep.” Jack gamely responded on his Instagram Story, using a clip from Brandy’s chorus on Kanye West’s 2005 song “Bring Me Down.” It looks like the ball is now back in his court after Brandy’s follow-up, although he may have the last laugh anyway; “First Class” is No. 1 for its third week, and if nothing else, this is great free promotion.